Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

If you are looking for a high protein, meatless, whole food recipe that tastes amazing, I’ve got one for you! I’ve been making this recipe (originally from Epicurious) for a bunch of years now. This quinoa dish is fresh-tasting and packed with zingy flavor, making it a great option to take as a side to a potluck. I most recently doubled it and made it for a crowd at my house and received a lot of compliments on it again. Black bean & tomato quinoa can be easily adjusted to be dairy-free and vegan. (See my specific substitutions below.) Because quinoa is so packed with protein, I sometimes make this on Sunday and have it for a healthy lunch throughout the week–yum! Here is the recipe!

Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

1 cup quinoa (uncooked)

2 tsp grated lime zest

2 T fresh lime juice

2 T butter, melted

1 T canola oil

1 tsp sugar

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium Roma tomatoes, diced

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

salt & pepper

Step 1: Cook the quinoa in lightly salted water. Note: Make sure you refer to the package for rinsing directions before you cook it. Quinoa is naturally very bitter and needs to be rinsed with several changes of water or it will taste awful. I make sure I buy the pre-rinsed variety (they carry it at Costco) so I can skip that step. To cook quinoa, I use my rice cooker set to the “brown rice” setting and it works perfectly. If you don’t have a rice cooker, just be sure to follow the package directions for stovetop cooking.

Step 2: Whisk together in the bottom of a large bowl the zest, juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp ground pepper.

Step 3: Add the cooked and slightly cooled quinoa to the dressing and toss until the dressing is absorbed.

Step 4: Stir in the tomatoes, beans, green onions, and cilantro. Taste and season with salt & pepper to your preference. Serve and enjoy!

Substitutions

Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

This recipe is a fresh and flavorful meat-free dish packed with protein! Enjoy it as a side dish or double the recipe for a vegetarian main dish.

Course
Main Course, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Cook Time35minutes

Total Time35minutes

Ingredients

1cupquinoauncooked

2tsp grated lime zest

2Tfresh lime juice

2Tbuttermelted

1Tcanola oil

1tsp sugar

115-oz canblack beansrinsed and drained

2medium Roma tomatoesdiced

4green onionschopped

1/4cupfresh cilantrochopped

salt & pepper

Instructions

Cook the quinoa in lightly salted water. Note: Make sure you refer to the package for rinsing directions before you cook it. Quinoa is naturally very bitter and needs to be rinsed with several changes of water or it will taste awful. I make sure I buy the pre-rinsed variety so I can skip that step. To cook quinoa, I use my rice cooker set to the "brown rice" setting and it works perfectly. If you don't have a rice cooker, just be sure to follow the package directions.

To make the dressing, whisk together in the bottom of a large bowl the zest, juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp ground pepper.

Add the cooked and cooled quinoa to the dressing and toss until the dressing is absorbed.

Stir in the tomatoes, beans, green onions, and cilantro. Taste and season with salt & pepper to your preference. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Substitutions: To make this dish dairy-free and vegan, simply substitute either a dairy-free spread or olive oil in place of the butter.

I would love to hear what you think of this recipe! Comment below and let me know!

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